no 2 cars where the same, it was an assembly line. Different people different shifts. It was all about putting the cars down the line as fast and productive as they could. Restore it back to how you found it. Looks like you have pictures to back that up on what ever you are going to do. To many people over restore these cars that's just my opinion.

Hello Graeme,

When I was restoring the last few 1969 Camaros I did, I found this article to be a great resource. It is on the CRG site written by John Hinckley.

It really dissects the assembly and painting process in great detail.


http://www.camaros.org/assemblyprocess.shtml


http://http://www.camaros.org/assemblyprocess.shtml

Paul

Was the first primer gray, and other in corrosion areas red? Might explain this. I haven't asked my painter to reproduce the runs ... :no:

Attachment 172273

To answer your second question NorCal, the black out used under the cowl on our Z, with black stripes, was not a satin or flat. It's gloss.

Mine is still original in this area and it's clearly a gloss black. Why the factory would bother in this area on a black stripe car since the firewall is getting blacked out anyway I'm not sure, but they carried the gloss black all the way out to the edge of the firewall, much like you see a white stripe Z done. My firewall then transitions into the satin finish over the edge.

I'm sure this process varied with plant and time of production. Mine is a 12D Norwood Z.

Another interesting point on mine, with it's original firewall paint still intact as well, is they weren't all that generous with the blackout. Mine has a lot of Frost Green showing through all around the trans tunnel right where it makes the transition behind the engine. I also have a fair amount of Frost Green showing through below the brake booster. The blackout was used very sparingly. I also have quite a bit of Frost Green showing through in the rear wheel well areas, mainly down on the frame rails that is still there. The black out of the rear wheel wells seems to have been done sparingly as well.

Something else I noticed on mine that wouldn't be present on an X77, Mine being an X33 has the lower rocker black out treatment. So when I carefully cleaned the floors, I didn't see a ton of Frost Green blown in on the floor pans, it was mostly black and faded to some Frost Green starting to show the closer you get to the rear wheel wells, where the green appears to be deliberately shot.

Another interesting thing on mine, if you really want to get picky, is the stripe application. The original on my cowl panel is still present. And where the tape line goes as it drops off towards the hood has a jagged edge on one stripe with a very pronounced step in it. Can only be seen with the hood up. It's an interesting factory blooper and I'm told from those that know and have seen it, that Z's at Norwood during this time frame of production are known to have this blooper.

I'm guessing something in the template used was messed up and was corrected at a later time.

Rob, although reports say that all cars received a gray primer-surfacer before being baked, I've been told by multiple people that different color primers were known to have been used between light and dark colored cars and have shown up on many survivors? Many of the dark colored cars have been found to have a red primer used under body color in some areas? Not sure if that was from the beltline down or just the wheel areas???

There may be truth to that NorCal, I'm not sure.

Mine being a Frost Green car, has grey primer that is very visible around the trans tunnel and when I removed the gas tank just about everything under and around the gas tank was grey primer. I've never found a spec of red primer anywhere on the car.

paint application
 

I know my car has grey primer and its Fathom Green but its a Van Nuys car.

My understanding was LOS/VAN Nuys cars were all gray primer. Norwood body , red oxide then gray. I do not believe the front clips got the red oxide, just gray ? In the first picture the trunk lid was closed when the gray primer was applied.
Third shot is a LOS car, no red primer.
Also , as mentioned, the first gen assy process by John Hinkley is a must read.

My Lemans Blue car had a lot of exposed gray primer along the front edges of the toe boards, inside the rear frame rails and all along the rear valance under the tank. Lots of black was sprayed up inside the differential tunnel, trans tunnel and covered all of the main floor boards.

In talking to a couple people with original paint cars, I was told a few have been found with red primers here and there but I think that was mostly found on dark colored cars. Who knows, maybe they ran dry of gray and pulled a tank of red into finish some productions? On this yellow car, it's most if not all gray primer underneath with considerable yellow over-spray. I'm really not seeing much of any black being applied anywhere?

I think I will stick to the original plan and do it like I first intended which is pretty near to what Mike D had done on Grady's Copo. Black out the main areas and keep some gray inside the center of the tunnel and under the tank. Can't go wrong there.